Free
by WordsOfASong
Summary: Annie returns to District 4. She can't feel truly at home without the water, but since her victory, the water floods her memory with terrifying thoughts. She dives into the ocean and is put at a greater danger than she could imagine. Finnick/Annie.
1. Water

**Disclaimer: **Insert something along the lines of "_I do not own The Hunger Games trilogy_" here.

**Author's Note: **I was swimming the other day, and this idea just snapped into my head. It's taken me a while to get it written just because I haven't been in the mood to write for a while. It's definitely Finnick/Annie fic; I think that's my favorite ship to support. I'm trying a new point of view, third person omniscient. I'm getting a little tired of first person in the present form. I'm going to stop being a nerd and shut up now.

XxXxX

"_I was down_

_I was drowning_

_But it came on just in time_

_This song saved my life_."

_~Simple Plan~_

Annie stood at the end of the dock swallowing her surroundings. Her eyes skimmed the surface of the unmoving ocean waters. This is what she'd been missing since her arrival home from the Games. But the cause of her victory, the flood that swarmed the arena, had scarred her mind terribly. She was absolutely petrified but still craved the feel of the waves against her skin. Annie had come home months ago. However, her father, with the knowledge of her intense fear, had kept her away from the waters of District 4. She wouldn't necessarily call it fear of the water. More like fear of the memories that dragged along with that water. She was scared that if she would emerge fully in the water, a play-by-play sequence of her time in the Games would replay over and over again in her head.

It was midnight. Annie's father was sleeping, and he did not know that she was out by the ocean. In fact, no one knew where she was. Annie tightened the straps of her bikini top and stuck one leg back as to prepare to propel her forward. She pushed off the wooden dock and dived headfirst into the dark waters. To her surprise, her mind emptied. Her thoughts drained out of her ears right into the waves themselves. She felt her legs penetrate the surface of the water. Her chest skimmed the sandy bottom, then the tops of her thighs, and finally her toes. Annie Cresta was free. Free from fear. Free from insanity. She thought she might be able to live her entire life down at the bottom of the ocean. That was - until she felt her lungs shrivel from lack of oxygen. She rocketed toward the surface after pushing off from the sand and gulped the air from above. Her muscles relaxed in the sea water, releasing the tension that they'd held for months and months. She dove down again feeling her hair swish around her face and the fish tickle her legs. She laughed under the water, emitting bubbles from her mouth. Nothing had felt this good in ages. Then she thought of Finnick. His touch as light as the water caressing her entire body. His breath as sweet as a water lily. His eyes as blue-green as the sea itself. The thought of Finnick made her body feel even lighter as she swirled around playfully in the water. Annie lay upon a moss-covered rock across from the dock. She felt the cool night air snap at her wet skin. She felt the boy. The boy tribute who was the only one left in the arena. She felt his silent underwater screams reverberate in her head and gradually throughout her body. Her limp body was screaming and slipping off the rock. She fell for what felt like thousands of feet. She didn't understand. She was an excellent swimmer. But right now, she _was_ the boy. The boy who couldn't swim when the arena flooded with water. She screamed for somebody, for anybody but met only silent bubbles.

**Author's Note: **I started this story two months ago, but I only came back to it just now. More chapters will be added shortly!


	2. Finnick Arrives

Finnick walked along the water's edge with his toes dragging in the muddy sand. For the past few months, he had not been able to sleep. Not since Annie was reaped. Of course, he'd slept a few hours here and there, but he'd never slept straight through the night. He would wake from nightmares of Annie's sufferings while sweating and clutching the blankets around him. Not even when he was trapped in the arena had he had such vibrant dreams. He continued down the sandy path with no companion but his thoughts. He had always wanted to take Annie with him on his nightly walks but felt awful for waking her at such a time of the night. Before the Games, he would have snuck down to her house and crept through her bedroom window. She would be waiting for him, eyes wide open, and they would cuddle into bed together to sleep through the night. Since she returned, her father had tightened the locks to increase the feel of security. Finnick, unfortunately, just felt more and more alone. They'd been separated for only two months before she returned. But since then, there was little contact. Something different between them that made it difficult to go back to normal. Finnick did feel more inclined to protect Annie: both physically and mentally. Her mind seemed more unsettled these days, and only he could understand what she really felt. He knew Annie felt more attached to him as well; he was her cling to sanity. Finnick kicked a rock to the side and looked out into the sea. On a far off rock was a multi-colored beach towel covered in patterns of shells. He recognized it immediately as Annie's. But there was no Annie to be found. The towel had not been there fifteen minutes ago when he'd looked before.

"Annie?" he called out. There was no response.

Something felt very wrong. He saw her sandals sprawled on the dock and a hair-tie next to them. Something was very, very wrong. He approached the dock and flung his shirt over his head, kicking off his shoes. Finnick remembered Annie's father telling him, "_If you see her, don't let her near the water."_ His explanation seemed logical enough, but Finnick knew there was no way to keep a District 4 girl like Annie away from the ocean. He cursed himself. If he'd attempted to have more contact with Annie, maybe she'd have asked him to go with her. She could be drowning. She could be trying to find herself. Finnick shook his head. The water was a beautiful, but dangerous, place.

"Annie!" he called again, this time with desperation in his tone.

Crickets chirped in response before Finnick dove far into the ocean. His legs propelled him almost ten feet away from the dock. His arms curved into the waves, and his legs sliced the water as he sped the distance. Only years of teaching himself to swim could have revealed the sharp swimmer's muscles that rippled in his abdomen. His mind pounded and his thoughts screamed only for Annie. He reached the rock but found nothing.

"Annie?" he panted.

Without hesitation, he dove deeper into the salt water and forced his eyes open.


	3. Drifting

While Annie lay unconscious on the ocean floor, her mind drifted to far away memories that hid in the back of her brain.

"_Annie Cresta, congratulations!" Mags had woken her._

"_Where am I?" she asked, feeling the cotton hospital gown draped over her. She saw her hands were unscarred from any accidents in the arena as well as any cuts from making nets with Finnick. She panicked at this. Where were those cuts? They had always been a reminder to her that he was real. That he was there for her. Where was Finnick? Was he waiting for her in District 4?_

"_You're on the hovercraft."_

"_Are we going back to the district?" she demanded to know._

"_No, we're heading to the Capitol."_

"_Why? Where's Finnick?"_

"_We have to go back for interviews and the celebration. Finnick is in District 4, Annie."_

"_He's okay? I want to see him. Where is he?" she asked again._

"_He's in District 4, as good as he's ever been."_

"_No, no. I need to see him. Bring him to the Capitol. I need him!" she screamed, writhing under the metal restraints._

_The IV beside her began to drip slowly, and the nurses entered with an oxygen mask. She was told to breathe, and she did so. Before she could protest, she was sedated to the point where she would not remember what happened thereafter. _


	4. Savior

Finnick swam as quickly as he could to the bottom of the sea where Annie's body was floating limply above the sand. His thoughts went into panic mode. Had she attempted to kill herself? No, Annie wouldn't do that. She wouldn't leave him like that. However, part of his brain said otherwise. Annie had always been delicate. It would be difficult for her to recover from the Games. Even he felt like doing anything to cut the stream of memories that interrupted his dreams every single night. He shook his head clear. No, it wasn't an attempt to kill herself. He would not believe it and swam faster and faster. He felt himself in Annie's place, craving the water after months. Trying to truly return to District 4. He took Annie's body in his arms and rocketed upwards toward the surface. He measured the water with his eyes; it must have been about fifteen to twenty feet deep. The two of them emerged, and Finnick sputtered water through his nose and mouth. Annie was still. He held his head to her chest; the heart was still beating, yet it was slow. He laid her gently on the rock, being careful because the rock itself was not very comfortable. He placed her lips on hers and exhaled, filling her lungs with air; he did this three times. He did five compressions on her chest and repeated the breathing. _Gently, but quickly,_ he reminded himself. CPR was new to him, and he needed to gather all of the concentration he could muster. _Gently, but quickly. Calmly and steadily._

"Annie, come on. Wake up, little Annie. Annie, darling," he pleaded with a shaking voice.

He continued his repetitions until her eyelids fluttered open and her violent fits of coughing began.

"Oh, Annie. What were you thinking, sweetheart?" he laughed in relief and fell to her side holding on to her.

She offered a small smile in return and closed her eyes again. Finnick laid his head on her chest, just to make sure her breathing never stopped.

"Don't leave me," he whispered.

"Never," she whispered back before drifting to sleep.

It was the first night in two months that they had both slept calmly through the night. Free of nightmares. Free of memories. Free with each other.

**Author's Note**: The end! This was my first Finnick/Annie story, so I hope it serves some justice! Please review and let me know how I can improve. Phew, I don't think I've posted a story in _months._ I have missed it!


End file.
